Trump: Sue ABC Over ‘False and Dishonest’ Report

By Jack PhillipsDecember 3, 2017

President Donald Trump talks to reporters before departing with his family from the White House on Nov. 21, 2017, to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

President Donald Trump suggested that investors who “lost money” when the Dow Jones went down 350 points due to an ABC News report that was later corrected should sue the network.

“People who lost money when the Stock Market went down 350 points based on the False and Dishonest reporting of Brian Ross of @ABC News (he has been suspended), should consider hiring a lawyer and suing ABC for the damages this bad reporting has caused – many millions of dollars!” Trump tweeted.

People who lost money when the Stock Market went down 350 points based on the False and Dishonest reporting of Brian Ross of @ABC News (he has been suspended), should consider hiring a lawyer and suing ABC for the damages this bad reporting has caused – many millions of dollars!

Ross, 69, was suspended Saturday by the network for four weeks over his erroneous report on Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser. He said that Trump had directed Flynn to make contact with the Russian government when he was a candidate.

“We deeply regret and apologize for the serious error we made yesterday,” the network said in a statement. “The reporting conveyed by Brian Ross during the special report had not been fully vetted through our editorial standards process. As a result of our continued reporting over the next several hours ultimately we determined the information was wrong and we corrected the mistake on air and online.”

“It is vital we get the story right and retain the trust we have built with our audience — these are our core principles. We fell far short of that yesterday. Effective immediately, Brian Ross will be suspended for four weeks without pay.”

Trump quickly responded to ABC’s announcement.

“Congratulations to @ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt. More Networks and ‘papers’ should do the same with their Fake News!” he tweeted on Saturday.

Congratulations to @ABC News for suspending Brian Ross for his horrendously inaccurate and dishonest report on the Russia, Russia, Russia Witch Hunt. More Networks and “papers” should do the same with their Fake News!

Ross had been accused of politicizing news stories in the past. In 2012, ABC apologized when he reported on the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting, saying that suspect James Holmes was connected to the Tea Party. It turned out to be a different “Jim Holmes.”

In this Nov. 16, 2015 photo provided by ABC, correspondent Brian Ross speaks on “Good Morning America,” which airs on the ABC Television Network, in New York.(Fred Lee/ABC via AP)

On Friday, when the report broke, the stock market dropped 350 points at one point, but it closed down 40 points by the day’s end.

For his part, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI on Friday.

My job is to hold people accountable and that's why I agree with being held accountable myself.